GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES

No Goodyear Notes have been sent out in a few weeks by their PR people

RACE BONUS INFO

The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus is $140,000 at New Hampshire for leading the points and winning the race (Sterling Marlin last won the award, $20,000 at Darlington on March 17, 2002). The $360,000 annual award is paid at $10,000 per race to the point leader at the end of each event if he is also the winner. The award increases by $10,000 each week the it goes unclaimed. If the point leader is not the race winner at the end of the year, the balance of the award is distributed among the top-10 finisher in the point standings(7-14-2002)

WEATHER, TV/RADIO COVERAGE LOCAL NEWS, TRACK/FAN INFO

Radio Coverage:Motor Racing Network(MRN)including Internet coverage (NOTE: now a paid subsription thru NASCAR.com) and on XM Satellite Radio.
Airtime: 1:30pm/et
(sorry, NASCAR PR is not listing the announcers/reporters any longer)

IN-CAR AUDIO SITES

PREVIEW, FACT SHEETS and MISC News

Pontiac gets a rules change: NASCAR announced a ½-inch increase to the front air dam and ¼ inch rear spoiler increase for the Pontiac Grand Prix beginning with the Sirius Satellite Radio 400 at Michigan on June 16th. The leading edge of the air dam for the Pontiacs now must not extend more than one (1) inch forward of the bumper. Measurements for the rear spoiler will now read at 7 1/8* inches high by 57 inches wide (prior to this, the rear spoiler measured at 6 7/8 inches high by 57 inches wide). This dimension will not be used at Daytona or Talladega.(NASCAR PR)(6-12-2002)

Provisonals Rules changed a bit: NASCAR Officials announced this week that teams in the Cup and BGN will not be charged for using a provisional starting position if the entry field for an event is equal to or less than the number of starting positions provided by the official entry blank.[such as 43 at a Cup race]. A team is granted a maximum season allotment of eight provisionals [charged provisional, if not in the top 25 in Owners Points] and under this amendment, provisionals assigned to fill starting positions 37-43 will not count against this allotment. Prior to this amendment, teams were charged for a provisional regardless of the number of entries at an event.(NASCAR.com). For more info on provisionals, see my Provisionals Status page.(3-21-2002)

New Pit Road Rules: NASCAR will change its policies for speeding violations on pit road following confusion over an infraction for which eventual race-winner Sterling Marlin was never penalized a week ago at Las Vegas. NASCAR president Mike Helton announced the changes Sunday morning at the drivers’ meeting prior to the MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The new rules go into effect next weekend at Darlington Raceway. The key change is that, under green-flag conditions, the penalty for speeding on the way onto pit road will now be the same as the penalty for speeding off the pit lane. The new penalty will be what NASCAR is calling a “pass through,” meaning the offending car will have to come off the track and travel the length of pit road at its speed limit without stopping. Under the old rule, a car speeding on the way onto pit road during a green-flag stop was held for 15 seconds in its pit stall. A car speeding off pit road was brought back to its pit box for a stop-and-go penalty. During last week’s UAW 400 at Las Vegas, NASCAR officials said Marlin was speeding as he came to his pit stall after being spun out in Turn 4. NASCAR’s race control officials called for the 15-second penalty, but that message was not heard by the official working in Marlin’s pit stall. Marlin left without serving a penalty and NASCAR decided not to enforce any further sanction, saying that bringing Marlin back to pit road would be too severe of a penalty. Since the usual penalty for speeding on the exit to pit lane was to bring a car back in for a stop-and-go, that raised the question of why the sanction for speeding on the way out should be more severe for speeding on the way in. The rule change announced Sunday addresses that issue. Helton admitted Sunday that not giving Marlin a penalty last week might not have been the right decision. Helton said the change was made to avoid the kind of confusion and miscommunication that happened at Las Vegas. Under the rule that goes into effect next week, a driver speeding on the way in and on the way out on the same pit stop will be brought back in for a stop-and-go penalty. A driver who exceeds the pit road speed limit as he serves the “pass through” penalty for speeding will also get a stop-and-go. The penalty for speeding in or out of a pit stop made under yellow-flag conditions will not change - the offending car will be sent to the end of the longest line of traffic for the restart.()(3-10-2002)UPDATE: plus a nice breakdown at RacingOne:
The New Pit Road Rules

QUALIFYING, PRACTICE and RESULTSnews and links

NHIS Rumblings: This Week's Elevator....UP: Operator of the week is a tie between Ward Burton (+30) and Dale Jarrett (+30). They were followed by Jeff Green (+29), Elliott Sadler (+28), Todd Bodine (+26), and Jimmy Spencer (+23). DOWN: The Big Dropper was Mike Skinner (-36), followed by Bill Elliott (-33), Dave Blaney (-30), Matt Kenseth (-27), and Tony Stewart (-27). This was Jarrett's 4th Operator award this season....no else has more than two.
Sterling Marlin tacked another 6 points onto his lead with today's result. Jeff Green advanced the most positions (22nd to 18th) while Kyle Petty (18th to 21st) and Dave Blaney (19th to 22nd) fell the most spots.(Stock Car Fans)(7-22-2002)

Ward Burton wins wild race at New Hampshire: #22-Ward Burton passed #17-Matt Kenseth (who had a tire going down) for the lead with 10 laps to go and held on to win the New Hampshire 300. It was Burton's 2nd win of 2002 and first since winning the Daytona 500. #30-Jeff Green was 2nd, his best ever Winston Cup finish. All three RCR drivers finished in the top ten. The top ten finishers:

Cautions: 14 for 77 lapsCaution 14, 286-288: #8-Earnhardt Jr and #26-Bodine got into each other, Earnhardt Jr spun around twice and hit the insude guardrail, during the mess. #28-Rudd and #23-Stricklin got together with Rudd spinning.Caution 13, 271-277 #7-Atwood got out of the groove and backed into the wall.Caution 12, 243-246 #15-Waltrip got out of the groove and spun around snacking the wall.Caution 11, 232-238 Debris on the track in turn three.Caution 10, 200-206 #15-Waltrip and #5-Labonte got together and Waltrip spun around, the drove off.Caution 9, 189-192: #1-Park got out of the groove, lost control and slapped the wall.Caution 8, 159-167: #28-Rudd smoking pretty bad, it was a loose oil line.Caution 7, 123-130: #20-Stewart got out of the groove (looked just like Kyle's wreck) and slapped the wall on turn four.Caution 6, 106-109: #45-Petty got out of the groove and headed into the wall.Caution 5, 75-81: #43-Andretti and #7-Atwood got together at the start-finish line, both drove away.Caution 4, 58-63 #21-Sadler spun in turn 4, didn't hit anything, and continued on.Caution 3, 28-34 #25-Nemechek was punted from behind by #30-Green and backed into the wall.Caution 2, 20-22: #41-Spencer lost it in turn two, didn't do any damage to the car.Caution 1, 3-6 #77-Blaney and #4-Skinner got together, sending the #77 into the wall. #28-Rudd slid but recovered, #12-Newman and #17-Kenseth had to stop and lost a few spots.NOTES: The #17-Kenseth car had a tire go down while leading with 10 laps down. Around lap 254, #32-Craven lost control and much of the field slowed behind him, but no caution. On lap 198, #24-Gordon got out of the groove and scraped the wall but drove off and no caution. #97-Busch lost a tire on lap 150 and had to come in to get new tires and had to come back in around lap 162 for a hole in the radiator. #4-Skinner back on the track around lap 105 after being in the garage for an engine problem.(7-21-2002)

Re-Air: The race will be re-aired on TNT, Tues, July 23rd, 1:00am/et; Speed Channel on Wed, July 24th, 8:00pm/et and Thurs, July 25th, 1:00am/et.Results: at and NASCAR.com.(7-21-2002)

Happy Hour at NHIS is over for the New England 300 (can be seen on Speed Channel later today when it will re-air at 5:00pm/et). The the fastest were #55-Bobby Hamilton 129.274; #99-Burton 128.745mph, and #97-Busch 128.563. Slowest were #89-Shepherd at 124.341 and #27-Shelmerdine at 122.241. The #66 Ford did not run in either practice session.
For speeds see .(7-20-2002)

To the back: #18-Bobby Labonte crashed in the first practice on Saturday and has to go to a backup car and will fall to the back of the field before the green flag, giving up 4th place. All cars on the inside line move up a spot. Labonte joins #66-Geoffrey Bodine and #26-Todd Bodine who will have to fall to the rear due to driver changes.(7-20-2002)

Some NHIS facts - 10th or better for Marlin, and other stuff: Seven of the 14 Cup races at New Hampshire have been won by a driver who started in the top 10. The deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 38th, and the average starting position of the race winner has been 13.85.
Four of the 16 drivers who have competed in all 14 races at New Hampshire have yet to post a top-five finish there: #11-Brett Bodine, Rick Mast(who will not race there), #36-Ken Schrader and #15-Michael Waltrip.
Should Mark Martin win the New England 300 on Sunday, Sterling Marlin can maintain the lead in the Winston Cup points standings by finishing 10th or better, regardless of lap leader bonus points for either driver.(Atlanta Journal Constitution)(7-20-2002)

Last Winston Cup starts? best I can tell.....
#89-Morgan Shepherd's last Winston Cup start was in the #90 Donlavey Racing Ford at Rockingham in Feb 1999, starting 39th and finishing 32nd.
#27-Kirk Shelmerdine's last Winston Cup start was in the #52 Williams Racing Ford at Talladega in May 1994, starting 42nd and finishing 26th, Shelmerdine attempted to make the 2002 Daytona 500 and Chicago last week, but missed.

Backup's: #21-Elliott Sadler and #1-Steve Park wrecked in Friday's practice and will both go to backup cars.(7-19-2002)

Saturday 1st Practice is over for the New England 300 at NHIS. #17-Matt Kenseth was the fastest at 128.850, followed by #48-Jimmie Johnson at 128.524 and #12-Ryan Newman at 128.415. #89-Morgan Shepherd was the slowest at 123.234. #27-Kirk Shelmerdine and #66-Geoffrey Bodine/Dennis Setzer did not practice.
For speeds see .(7-20-2002)

Bill Elliott wins the pole at NHIS for the New England 300. #9-Bill Elliott won the pole at New Hampshire with a speed of 131.469mph, his third Bud Pole of the year and his 54th of his career. The top ten qualifiers:
#9-Bill Elliott, 131.469
#4-Mike Skinner, 131.175
#2-Rusty Wallace, 131.121
#18-Bobby Labonte, 130.999
#77-Dave Blaney, 130.905

#17-Matt Kenseth, 130.891
#12-Ryan Newman, 130.873
#28-Ricky Rudd, 130.842
#32-Ricky Craven, 130.810
#55-Bobby Hamilton, 130.788
slowest = #66-Dennis Setzer, 123.715
All 43 drivers made the race and the seven drivers who took provisionals will not be charged a provisonal, no one missed the race. Drivers using provisonals are: #45-Petty, #21-Sadler, #23-Stricklin, #14-Compton, #66-Setzer (Geoffrey Bodine will drive the car on Sunday), #27-Shelmerdine, #89-Shepherd. If was the first provisional taken by Petty in 2002. Six teams have started every race and not used a provisional in 2002: #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr; #15-Michael Waltrip; #18-Bobby Labonte; #20-Tony Stewart; #24-Jeff Gordon (has never used a provisional in his career); #29-Kevin Harvick/Kenny Wallace.
NOTES: #43-Andretti, who was fastest in practice, got very high on his first lap, but hit nothing.Results/Lineup: can be seen at or NASCAR.com(7-19-2002)

Friday Practice is over at NHIS: #43-John Andretti was the fastest at 132.273mph followed by #55-Bobby Hamilton at 131.838 and #48-Jimmie Johnson at 131.806. Track Record is Rusty Wallace at 132.089 in 2000. Slowest was #66-Geoffrey Bodine at 122.340 and #27-Kirk Shelmerdine at 123.819. For speeds, see .(7-19-2002)

No Long: Winston Cup driver [#79] Carl Long indicated to NHIS and NASCAR that he would compete in Sunday's New England 300. Then he decided against it, leaving the field at 42 as of yesterday afternoon. Normally, 43 cars start in Winston Cup races.(Concord Monitor)(7-19-2002)

Qualifying Order is up for the New England 300. See above for the link(s). 43 cars, yep, up to 43 now are listed with #66-Dennis Setzer being added. First due out is #19-Jeremy Mayfield and last due out is #18-Bobby Labonte.(7-19-2002)

Qualifying at NHIS:. Qualifying is due to start at 3:00pm/et, will be televised on TNT live, have not seen any re-air dates/times, can be heard on radio via MRN Radio and XM Satellite Radio, and via the Internet at NASCAR.com's paid service, RaceCast and I will run a top 5/10 with notes here as I watch/listen to qualifying.(7-19-2002)

Entry List (now up to 43) is up at NASCAR.com for the New England 300. Only 41 cars/drivers listed including #89-Morgan Shepherd. See above for the link.and Add #27 Kirk Shelmerdine as he has entered the race, so up to 42 now.(7-16-2002)AND With only 40 full-time Winston Cup teams, NASCAR will have its first short field for the first time in nearly six years after the field for the New England 300 fell one short of 43 starters. #89-Morgan Shepherd, a veteran Winston Cup owner/driver, was the 41st starter and #27-Kirk Shelmerdine, a former champion crew chief turned driver, pushed the field to 42 when he entered last Sunday. The last time NASCAR was unable to draw a full field was in 1996 at Dover, Del., where 41 starters showed for the 42-car lineup.(many sources)(7-19-2002)UP to 43 add the #66: looks like Haas-Carter Motorsports is running CTS driver Dennis Setzer in the #66 Ford, it has been added to the Qualifying Order.(7-19-2002)

How to break a tie during qualifying?(same speed/time) When drivers are tied for a starting spot during qualifying, it is broken by owners points standings(not drivers). For provisionals standings see the Jayski's Provisional Status page

an interesting point: When NASCAR officials decided to disallow Jerry Nadeau's qualifying time at Daytona in Feb 2001, it raised an interesting question. With the Winston Cup series having only one round of qualifying the rest of the season, what happens if an unapproved part is found? According to NASCAR, drivers no longer have to post an official qualifying time to use a provisional, they only have to practice. So a driver could have a penalty on a qualifying issue but still have access to one of the seven provisionals for the race(Richmond Times Dispatch)(2-11-2001)

Links: Practice speeds, qualifying and results can be found at these
sites: NASCAR Online

TRACK/RACE NEWS

Grand Marshal and Starter at NHIS: Carolyn Towle of Champlain Oil/Jiffy Mart is the grand marshal and Kenny Shook of Pepsi-Cola North America is the honorary starter.(Union Leader)(7-21-2002)

NHIS and softwalls: Since the deaths of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin in separate crashes here in 2000, New Hampshire International Speedway has been a focal point for NASCAR's discussion of safety issues. Several drivers criticized NASCAR for not having some kind of energy-absorbing barrier for the track's outside walls before the race in September 2000, after Petty had died in April and Irwin in July. As the Winston Cup circuit returns to New Hampshire this weekend, two years after the crash in which Irwin died, there still have been no changes to the walls. But in two weeks, when the circuit goes to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Cup cars will see a new generation of "soft wall" called the SAFER barrier in the four turns. New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahre has said he will install a SAFER (steel and foam energy-reducing) system at his track as soon as he gets approval from NASCAR, but the sanctioning body is proceeding cautiously.(See full story at )(7-19-2002)

Coolers and Camping Info for NHIS: Fans attending the New England 300 weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway from July 18 to July 21 are reminded that all coolers brought to the Speedway should not exceed the standard 14 inch measurement as per the usual Speedway policy. .All coolers brought on Speedway property are subject to inspection.
The Speedway will also continue the policy of not allowing glass containers in the grandstand areas.
The Speedway's free RV & Camper areas will open on Sunday, July 14 at 12:00pm for those guests possessing tickets to the New England 300 weekend. Guests will be asked to present their tickets prior to entering the NHIS RV & Camper areas. The Speedway's free RV & Camper areas will be open 24 hours a day for our guests' convenience.
As always, all RV's and Campers must be self-contained.
For race and ticket information, please call Speedway Guest Services at (603) 783-4931.(NHIS PR)(7-15-2002)

NHIS Deal: Race fans attending the New England 300 NASCAR weekend on July 19-21 at New Hampshire International Speedway will receive something extra when they purchase their tickets. Bob's Stores in conjunction with Timberland footwear will provide a 10% discount for any sale or regular priced Timberland Pro Series item at their 34 stores in the Northeast. All the ticket holder needs to do is show their NHIS ticket back at a Bob's Store by August 20 to receive this discount.(NHIS PR)(7-11-2002)

Cracks fixed at NHIS: Hairline cracks in the new surface on Turns 3 and 4 at New Hampshire International Speedway were fixed last week, says track owner Bob Bahre. Back in March, both of the lower turn areas, between Turns 1 and 2 and Turns 3 and 4, were widened by 12 feet to create more racing room on the tight, 1.058-mile track. Many BGN drivers gave the improvements a thumbs-up after their race there in May. But the cracks were noticed recently, and Bahre moved to correct the problem. “Turns 1 and 2 were fine, but the test in the oil mixture on 3 and 4 didn't come out right,” he says. So the old section was ground out and resurfaced. The repairs forced cancellation of a Winston Cup test session, and the new asphalt has less than three weeks to cure before the Cup race there July 21. Bahre doesn't anticipate problems. “When the Cup cars come up here, you'll see a lot more passing after about 25 to 30 laps because of the new groove and the apron,” he says. . . . (Sporting News)(7-1-2002)

Cracks found at NHIS, testing cancelled UPDATE: An upcoming test session for Cup teams was canceled at the New Hampshire International Speedway after it was learned that hairline fractures were found in the newer portions of the track. There will now be no testing prior to next month’s Winston Cup event which is slated to begin July 19. NASCAR rules do not allow testing to be done seven days prior to a race. That means Winston Cup teams will not be able to practice on the newly reconfigured track before the race weekend. In April, both of the lower turn areas on the superspeedway were widened by 12 feet between Turns 1 and 2, and Turns 3 and 4 on the 1.058-mile oval, with the hopes of adding the second groove. The goal was to create more racing excitement with cars having more room to pass and opening the possibility of side-by-side racing. In recent years, NASCAR drivers had complained that it was too difficult to pass on the one-groove speedway. After May’s BGN race event, most drivers sung the praises of the changes. Fans were also treated to a more exciting brand of racing on the "Magic Mile" as cars were able to race side-by-side. But the hairline cracks were found recently in the newer racing groove between Turns 3 and 4, perhaps as a sign of stress or from an inferior mix of asphalt. In order to remedy the situation, Pike Industries of Belmont will repave the areas of the track in question in order to fix the cracks. Hopefully three weeks time will be adequate for the new pavement to cure before the Cup, CTS, BGN North, and Featherlite Modified Series races in July.(The Citizen)(6-26-2002)UPDATE: New Hampshire International Speedway owner Bob Bahre said yesterday, "I don’t see any problems," said Bahre of how the resurfacing will effect the upcoming Winston Cup weekend. "We’re already done resurfacing it and we have to let it set for two weeks. There’s three weeks left until the race so we’re fine," as the track completed resurfacing on its track between Turns 3 and 4 on the 1.058-mile oval. Despite the recent resurfacing project Bahre is confident the track will be ready for the Cup Weekend which starts on July 19. In recent days hairline cracks were found in the new racing groove between Turns 3 and 4, perhaps as a sign of stress or from an inferior mix of asphalt. The discovery of the cracks led NHIS to cancel a NASCAR Winston Cup test session. In order to remedy the situation, Pike Industries of Belmont acted quickly. On Sunday Pike started grinding out the old areas of the track that were in question in order to fix the cracking. On Monday the work was completed at 4 p.m.— leaving just three weeks for the track surface to cure. Hopefully three weeks time will be adequate for the new pavement to cure before the 600 miles of racing scheduled for the traditionally busy July NASCAR weekend. In addition to the 300 mile Winston Cup event, NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck, Busch North, and Featherlite Modified Series will be in action. The resurfacing will still have an effect on next month’s Winston Cup event. There will be no testing prior to the New England 300 because of the resurfacing in Turns 3 and 4. NASCAR rules do not allow testing to be done seven days prior to a race. That means Winston Cup teams will not be able to practice on the newly reconfigured track before the race weekend and whoever can figure out the changes first will have a clear advantage during the race.(The Citizen)(6-27-2002)

No 'soft' wall at NHIS next month: NASCAR officials have asked the New Hampshire International Speedway to hold off on installing new "soft walls" until further testing determines they are as safe as possible for stock cars, track owner Bob Bahre said.
That means the walls will not be in place for next month's Winston Cup race, and they may not be installed in time for September's race, either, Bahre said. The new walls, which consist of concrete padded with large foam blocks, already have been used in the Indianapolis 500. But stock-racing cars are heavier and act differently when hitting walls at high speed.
"The engineer in charge of this wants to hold off on it, make a few changes," Bahre said. "We're gonna do what's right. NASCAR's anxious to get going on it. But he wants to develop something different." Bahre has already built up the track's apron and added a groove. He had hoped to install the soft walls, at a cost of about $300,000, before the New England 300 on July 21. At the Indy 500 earlier this year, where the soft walls where used for the first time, drivers raved about them. One car slammed head-on into a soft wall at 220 mph during a practice, but the driver escaped with minor injuries.(/AP)(6-10-2002)

How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Bristol(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph

DRIVER/TEAM NEWS

Haas Carter to field 2nd car at NHIS: Haas Carter Motorsports will enter and race two cars at New Hampshire. This will bring the field to 43. Geoffrey Bodine will Qualify the # 26 car for brother Todd , who is at the Busch race [at Gateway]. Geoffrey will start the #66 car on Sunday after someone else qualifies it [Dennis Setzer is listed on the TR qualfying order]. Todd will drive the #26 car on Sunday. Since neither driver will start the race in the car he qualified, both Geoffrey and Todd Bodine will be forced to start from the back.(7-19-2002)

Three Drivers do the NHIS Cup/CTS double: three drivers will compete in both the Truck Series and Cup races. Kevin Harvick (#29-Cup, #6-CTS); Ken Schrader (#36-Cup, #52-CTS); and Morgan Shepherd (#89 Cup, #51-CTS). Dennis Setzer who is running the CTS race, qualified the #66 Ford for the Cup race but Geoffrey Bodine will run that car. AND two drivers will run both the Cup and BGN races, Todd Bodine (#26-Cup, #92-BGN) and Stacy Compton (#14 Cup and #59-BGN) but they will be traveling as the BGN race is at Gateway Intl Raceway near St Louis.(7-20-2002)

Bodine to sub for Bodine: Geoffrey Bodine will practice and qualify the #26 Discover Card Ford at New Hampshire for his brother Todd who will be at Gateway running the BGN race. Todd will return NHIS Sunday to run the race.(7-17-2002)

Shepherd to do double duty at NHIS UPDATE: Morgan Shepherd is planning on running his #21 CTS truck in the New England 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway on July 20 as well as planning on running his #89 Winston Cup car at the New England 300 on July 21st.(Catchfence)(7-11-2002)UPDATE: Morgan Shepherd announced that plans have changed concerning his decision to run both the CTS and Cup events next weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway. "We have decided to park the truck for a while and concentrate on getting our #89 Cup car ready for New Hampshire, said Shepherd.. "We are looking forward to working with our old friends and competitors Dave and Roger Dion.. I'm not sure exactly when our truck program will resume, but for now we need to put our full efforts into the Winston Cup car. We want to be sure to thank our fans and loyal supporters.. We appreciate their thoughts and prayers and hope they will continue.. We are looking forward to New Hampshire and pray for a good run." The CTS program will resume when time allows. Plans are indefinite, however details will be released as they become available. "Failing to qualify at Kentucky was very upsetting. The truck needs more work, and we have decided to shift our efforts toward next weekend's Winston Cup race. We are also planning on additional Cup events this year, as well. We will talk more about that later. I've been looking forward to returning to Winston Cup for quite some time now." The last Winston Cup event Morgan competed in was on February 21, 1999 when he drove the #90 Ford owned by Junie Donlavey in the Dura Lube/Big KMart 400 at North Carolina Speedway [Rockingham]. Associate sponsors for the #89 Shepherd Ford Taurus include Catchfence.com, Motorsportsweb.com, LifeXPrograms, Pitpassmagazine.com, and Racing With Jesus Ministries, among others.(STB Marketing Group PR)(7-15-2002)

#45 in black at NHIS: #45-Kyle Petty will show up at New Hampshire International Speedway with a special paint scheme. ''Every time we run at Loudon, we run a black car,'' he said. ''The Sprint people were supportive and allowed us to do it last year, so we run a solid black car up there. It's not a diecast deal. It's nothing like that. It's a personal deal for me.'' So when his #45 Dodge takes the track at NHIS, will it be solid black again? ''Yeah,'' Petty said, somberly. ''Always.'' [as a tribute to his son Adam who lost his life in a BGN accident there in May 2000](Boston Globe)(7-14-2002)

Harvick to race a truck at NHIS: Winston Cup driver Kevin Harvick will return to NASCAR’s Truck series next weekend, when he drives his own entry in Saturday’s New England 200 at New Hampshire. Harvick, as well as several other Cup drives, are planning to run the event in order to gain additional track time. Since last season, speedway officials have added an additional 12-feet of racing surface on the inside of the turns. Harvick’s last appearance in the series was in April at Martinsville, Va., when he got into an incident with driver Coy Gibbs on the track and was "parked" by NASCAR officials. NASCAR extended the "parking" through the next day’s Winston Cup race, forcing Harvick to sit out.()(7-14-2002)

Nadeau in the #10 starting at NHIS: Jerry Nadeau will drive the #10 Valvoline Pontiac while Johnny Benson recovers from the three displaced ribs he suffered Saturday night in an accident at Daytona International Speedway. Mike Wallace will drive the Valvoline Pontiac at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend then Nadeau will take over on Monday and Tuesday at a Nascar Winston Cup test in Indianapolis. He will remain the driver until Benson's return. No determination has been made regarding a timetable for Benson's
return to racing. Nadeau drove the Valvoline Pontiac at Charlotte and Dover earlier this season while Benson recovered from a broken rib and two cracked ribs he suffered in a BGN race at Richmond on May 3. Benson's Richmond rib injuries are to the right side of his back while Saturday's injuries were on the right side of his chest. None of the Richmond injuries were aggravated Saturday night.(Johnny Benson Fanclub site)(7-12-2002)

See the 2002 Team Chart which has links to past news for each team and info on each team.

PAINT SCHEME NEWS

Atwood's Hood at NHIS: Darryl Worley, a hot new country star with the recently released album, I Miss My Friend, will be the third featured artist to take a ride with Casey Atwood and the #7 Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge in the Sirius Hood program. Both born and raised in Tennessee, Atwood and Worley will join forces this weekend at the New England 300 at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, NH. The #7 Sirius Dodge paint scheme will feature Darryl Worley and his recently released album, I Miss My Friend; which was given three stars by USA Today in a recent album review and is Worley's second album released by DreamWorks Records. Darryl Worley can currently be heard on "New Country" on Channel 31 and Sirius Country Hits on Channel 30 both which fall under the Country genre.(Golin-Harris PR)(7-16-2002)

#45 in black at NHIS: #45-Kyle Petty will show up at New Hampshire International Speedway with a special paint scheme. ''Every time we run at Loudon, we run a black car,'' he said. ''The Sprint people were supportive and allowed us to do it last year, so we run a solid black car up there. It's not a diecast deal. It's nothing like that. It's a personal deal for me.'' So when his #45 Dodge takes the track at NHIS, will it be solid black again? ''Yeah,'' Petty said, somberly. ''Always.'' [as a tribute to his son Adam who lost his life in a BGN accident there in May 2000](Boston Globe)(7-14-2002)

Give Kids the World back on the #32: Ricky Craven and 9-year old Vanessa Alvarez of nearby Hayward, CA unveiled the 2002 #32 Tide/Give Kids The World Ford, which will be run later this year [in July] at New Hampshire. Give Kids The World is a non-profit resort for children with life-threatening illnesses whose one wish is to visit Central Florida's best-loved attractions. More than 4,500 children from around the world visit each year. As part of their stay, children are encouraged to submit a special paint scheme for the Tide Ford. Vanessa, who suffers from a form of leukemia, was selected as this year's winner. This signature design benefits the Give Kids The World Village through the sale of die-cast replicas of the race car. After unveiling the car at San Francisco's Chrissy Park, Craven spoke about what the Give Kids The World charity means to him and the fact that the special paint scheme will adorn the #32 Tide Ford at NHIS. "Give Kids The World is such a magical place for these children," he said. "Being able to run this special paint scheme at New Hampshire in July is really special. I've always enjoyed such a great following in New England and, hopefully, this car will bring even more recognition to the Give Kids The World Village," he added.(PPI Motorsports PR). See my 2002 Cup page for a image of the scheme.(6-26-2002)

DeWalt and AT&T work together, special AT&T scheme: DEWALT Power Tools announced it will continue its marketing alliance with AT&T Broadband by spotlighting a special AT&T Broadband paint scheme at three races during the 2002 season. The AT&T Broadband paint scheme will be the primary signage on the #17 Ford driven by Matt Kenseth at the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at
Sears Point, the Pepsi 400 at Daytona and the New Hampshire 300 at NHIS. In addition to the specially designed cars, AT&T will be featured underneath the DEWALT logo on the rear quarter panels of the car for the duration of the 2002 season.(Adair Promotions)(6-19-2002)

Cingular Scheme: hearing the #31 Cingular Chevy will run the Special Olympics Logo in conjunction with a promotion the month of June and July. Cingular did a similar promotion in 2001.(5-9-2002)